In the era of the Great Resignation, employee engagement is becoming a favourite topic to discuss in HR circles. As hiring gets more expensive, employee retention is crucial for organizations looking to improve their workforce productivity and customer satisfaction.

In 2023, employee turnover continued to be higher than normal. Over 50 million employees left their jobs across industry sectors. The average turnover rate was 47% in 2022 with the highest rates in construction (47%) and manufacturing (39%).

Modern trends like remote or hybrid working and the popularity of cloud applications continue to redefine the modern workplace. From an HR perspective, CHROs must remain cognizant of the emerging trends in employee engagement in 2024.

Here’s a look at 6 employee engagement trends to look out for in 2024 and beyond:

1. People-focused culture

Workplace culture expert, Nicole Turner believes “organizational culture plays a crucial role in employee retention.” Organizations with a people-first culture foster a sense of belonging and community, thus improving employee engagement. A healthy culture has transformed companies like Salesforce and American Express into the best places to work.

In the recent “Great Place to Work” survey, a people-first culture results in the following business benefits:

• Employee retention (88%)
• Employee referrals (91%)
• Business agility (87%)

A people-first culture recognizes the importance of “listening” to employees. As more companies go into hybrid working, communications tools are increasingly effective for gathering employees’ suggestions and feedback.

2. Work-life balance

Organizations prioritizing work-life balance lower their employee turnover by 25% and healthcare costs by 50%. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 35% of the global workforce will shift to remote working – up from just 19% in 2017. According to TeamStage, nearly 70% of employees want a flexible work schedule, while 55% want to work outside office premises.       

The 2020 pandemic initiated more organizations to move to the remote and hybrid working model, and the pace has not slowed down yet. Some great examples of companies with work-life balance include LinkedIn and Netflix, which are offering unlimited paid leaves to their employees.

3. Skill development

Skill development and career advancement are at the “heart” of employee engagement. 47% of the global workforce is looking for job roles that offer them long-term professional growth. A “healthy” organizational culture also encourages employee training and development programs. For instance, an efficient employee upskilling and reskilling strategy can help organizations retain more employees and prepare them for complex roles.

For improved learning outcomes, organizations must shift from “traditional” office training to technology-enabled “digital classrooms.” This form of flexible learning improves learner’s engagement and knowledge retention.

4. Leveraging AI and machine learning technologies

Increasingly, we find HR teams leveraging AI and machine learning in their employee engagement practices. 79% of companies are using AI technology in some form in their hiring process. A Gartner survey found that 52% of HR managers are using Generative AI to improve their employee experience. For example, AI-powered chatbots are used to answer employee’s queries about HR-related policies.

Similarly, AI-powered predictive analytics tools are useful in monitoring employee’s well-being and behaviours. For instance, a North America-based multinational company, Panasonic is leveraging AI technology to extract valuable employee insights and improve their HR strategies.

5. Employee health and wellness

A Gallup poll found that 62% of highly engaged employees feel positive about their physical and mental health. In the drive to remote working, it’s common for employees to feel lonely and disconnected from their company.

With a well-designed employee health and wellness strategy, organizations can improve employee engagement and involvement. Some of the common wellness programs that HR teams can conduct include:

• Yoga and meditation sessions
• Stress management classes
• Team building activities
• Mental health coaching

Employers like Salesforce, Nike, and Instacart are some of the best companies for employee health and wellness programs.

6. Employees as brand ambassadors

With the rise of social media platforms, it’s common to find employees posting their “thoughts” on these platforms. Companies are recording up to 561% more brand engagement when their employees share content on social media platforms. Besides improving their brand value, HR managers can leverage social media content to improve their employee engagement and recognition.

Hence, HR teams can leverage their employees as their brand ambassadors. Here are a few considerations:

• Train the employees about the company’s brand value and mission.
• Communicate the company’s digital marketing strategy to all employees.

How Audiovisual solutions can drive employee engagement

In the complex landscape of the modern workplace, immersive technologies can simplify team communication and collaboration for better results. Audiovisual (AV) solutions are effective at enabling communication between remote and hybrid employees. When properly implemented, AV-powered systems can break down geographical barriers and enable employees to share their real-time suggestions.

Here are some of the AV solutions that are driving employee engagement:

1. Video conferencing

For a distributed workforce, video conferencing solutions are essential for engaging this workforce. Advanced video conferencing can effectively replace in-office team meetings and add more participants to the “brainstorming” session.

2. Interactive digital displays

Interactive digital displays in office premises are effective for displaying the latest news, events, or accomplishments related to the organization (or a particular team). Interactive displays are also more engaging than “boring” PowerPoint presentations. Team members can interact with other members using the visual elements of the digital display.

3. Board and meeting rooms

AV technology is also changing the face of the “traditional” board and meeting rooms. High-definition video and audio meetings can easily replace “physical” office meetings and build engagement between office and remote employees. Features like active polling and Q&A sessions also boost employee participation and involvement.

4. Employee training

In a hybrid workplace, AV solutions are transforming the onboarding, reskilling, and upskilling processes in organizations. Collaboration platforms like MS Teams can train employees spread across locations – at the same time. Similarly, unified communication systems can improve brainstorming by breaking down the workforce into smaller groups for training.

How Resurgent’s ProAV solutions can help in employee engagement

Over the years, Resurgent has built its technical expertise in professional AV solutions that are deployable across industries. Our suite of AV solutions includes technologies like:

• Video conferencing
• Interactive displays
• Video walls
• Digital signages

Our AV solutions are designed to help you improve employee engagement using the latest technologies. If you want to know more about our solutions, book a free consultation today.